Finite element analysis of the shock response and head slap behavior of a hard disk drive

A study of the shock response of a hard disk drive dropped from a height onto a surface with a specific contact stiffness is presented. A finite element model of the hard disk drive was developed and transient response analysis of the model was performed to evaluate the shock problem. The study shows why a disk drive is particularly sensitive to shock inputs with narrow pulse widths in the order of 0.5 to 1 millisecond.